Is Leamington still Canada's 'tomato capital' with Chatham-Kent producing more?
asserted
Kent → produce → more
Leamington has long dubbed itself the 'Tomato Capital of Canada'
asserted
Leamington → dub → Canada
As we're in the middle of October, the tomato harvest is winding down across southwestern Ontario.
asserted
harvest → wind → Ontario
Leamington has long dubbed itself the "Tomato Capital of Canada."
But did you know that neighbouring Chatham-Kent actually produces the most outdoor-grown tomatoes, anywhere in the country?
asserted
Kent → dub → country
A handful of companies in Essex County and Chatham-Kent process them, while the vast majority of Ontario's output is from area fields, according to agricultural specialist Kim Cooper in the region.
uncertain
majority → process → region
A southwestern Ontario tomato farmer makes their way across a field in this file photo.
asserted
farmer → make → photo
He says the tomato pendulum swung east of Leamington over the past 12 years or so.
asserted
pendulum → say → years
"The grower base has shrunk, and a lot of that was because when Leamington closed up their Heinz plant in 2014, that really threw the tomato sector into a spin," Cooper said.
asserted
Cooper → shrink → spin
Vehicles drive past the former Heinz plant in Leamington, Ont., in 2014.
asserted
Vehicles → drive → 2014
"It affected 50 growers back then … so some of those growers kind of packed it in and some of those growers were absorbed by other companies.
asserted
some → affect → companies
Then, Highbury Canco came into the picture in Leamington.
asserted
Canco → come → Leamington
So they got a lot of those acreages back.
asserted
they → get → acreages
That's why Leamington was always referred to as the 'Tomato Capital of Canada' — just basically because of Heinz."
asserted
Leamington → refer → Heinz
Cooper says the climate in southwestern Ontario makes it the perfect place to grow outdoor tomatoes.
asserted
it → say → tomatoes
"People don't realize if you look at a map of North America, southern Ontario … Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent is the same latitude as northern California.
asserted
Essex → realize → California
Tomatoes grown in southwestern Ontario are shown in a large pile after being shipped to a processing facility in this file photo.
asserted
Tomatoes → grow → photo
According to Cooper, he’s not debunking Leamington as Canada’s tomato capital.
uncertain
he → accord → capital
Instead, he says, he's stating the fact that Chatham-Kent grows more now than in Essex County.
asserted
Kent → say → County
"Not because we [Chatham-Kent] tried to, but I think it was really because of the Heinz situation."
- Article
How Leamington got caught up in one of Canada's greatest food fights
Inside the ketchup war: what happened after Heinz closed in Leamington
Agricultural economist Philip Shaw says tomatoes are one of the most important crops grown in Chatham-Kent and Essex County.
But historically, he adds, it hasn’t proven to be overly lucrative.
asserted
it → try → Kent
"I wouldn't call it a cash cow because tomato production is incredibly and capital intensive," said Shaw, who’s based out of Dresden in Chatham-Kent and primarily farms corn, wheat and soybeans himself.
asserted
who → call → corn
"In other words, it takes an awful lot of money to grow tomatoes and to be able to farm tomatoes in terms of land and equipment and dedication.
asserted
it → take → land
A worker tends to tomatoes being processed at the Highbury Canco processing plant in Leamington in this file photo.
asserted
worker → tend → photo
Whether the tomatoes are processed into things such as juice, soups, paste or cocktail mixes, a lot goes into growing them.
asserted
lot → process → them
"You could put all the tomato farmers in a school bus and drive down the road because over a period of time the industry has changed and there's less producers.
uncertain
industry → put → time
It takes an awful lot of money and an awful lot of risk to get into tomato production."
asserted
It → take → production
It took nearly a decade.
asserted
It → take → decade
But this man thinks he's perfected Ontario tomatoes
Tomatoes cost how much now?
asserted
Tomatoes → think → much
Why inflation has come for Canada's produce section
Shaw referred to farming tomatoes as "more of a closed shop" to those who’ve been in the business for many years with existing relationships with processors.
asserted
who → come → processors
"Then there's negotiations between Ontario vegetable growers and these processors, and the processors also constantly change over a period of time.
asserted
processors → be → time
But also you just can't grow tomatoes every year."
asserted
you → grow → tomatoes
A tomato harvesting machine picks and deposits tomatoes into a trailer being pulled by a tractor in southwestern Ontario.
asserted
machine → harvest → Ontario
Trucking is another huge cost, says Shaw, which limits the geography of where they’re grown and processed.
asserted
they → say → geography
There's a whole bunch of moving parts that have to fit together to have profitable tomato production in southwestern Ontario.
asserted
that → be → Ontario
Just because Chatham-Kent produces more outdoor-grown tomatoes, doesn’t mean Leamington can’t continue to stake claim as the "Tomato Capital of Canada" — a slogan more than anything else — based on its history with the red fruit-vegetable.
uncertain
Leamington → produce → vegetable
But let’s just say it did lose the moniker.
asserted
it → let → moniker
What else should the southwestern Ontario coastal municipality along Lake Erie be known for?
asserted
municipality → know → Erie
Leamington’s Cherise Charron was quick to respond when asked.
asserted
Charron → respond → ?
"I think it is the greenhouse capital for sure," she said.
asserted
she → think → ?
"I was looking at a map on Google, and you can see at night how lit up it is from all of the greenhouses we do have."
asserted
we → look → greenhouses
Greenhouse lights from the area of Leamington and Kingsville, Ont., are seen in a photo taken from the International Space Station on March 13, 2026. (NASA/International Space Station)
asserted
lights → see → March
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
